The Seven Sisters of Moscow

Meet the Baroque landmarks that tower over the city of Moscow.

The Red Gates Administrative Building, one of Moscow's "Seven Sisters".

The Seven Sisters of Moscow is a group of unique skyscrapers in Moscow, Russia. Comprised of seven magnificent buildings, they were constructed between 1947 and 1953 in a Russian Baroque and Gothic style. Below is an individual explanation of each building.

7. Hotel Ukraina

The Hotel Ukraina is the second highest structure among the seven sisters of Moscow. It contains 34 floors and rises to a height of 198 meters. Vyacheslav Oltarzhevsky and Arkady Mordvinov, two Russian nationals, performed the construction and design of the building. Before the inauguration of the Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta Georgia in 1975, Hotel Ukraina was the tallest hotel in the world. The building was constructed in the lower riverbanks. Due to the strength and security of the hotel, a deep foundation had to be built. The builders used an advanced method to dig the hotel's infrastructure deep below the water level. On April 20, 2010, the Hotel Ukraina was reopened after a three-year shutdown which had been for for renovation purposes. The hotel is presently known as the Radisson Royal Hotel, and comprises of 505 guest rooms.

6. Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Apartments

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The Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Apartments has a height of 176 meters and 22 levels. The building was constructed within the confluence of Moskva River and the Yauza River. The ways in which the floors of the apartment building are dispersed gives it a massive appearance.

5. Kudrinskaya Square Building

A chief designer, Mikhail Posokhin, together with his counterpart name Ashot Mndoyants, designed the Kundrinskaya Square Building. The laying down of the construction of this building took place in 1950 before it was finally completed in 1954. The building has a height of 160 meters and is located precisely at the rear of Krasnaya Presnya Street. Originally intended for the political elite, it was the last of the Seven Sisters to be constructed.

4. Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya Hotel

This hotel is 136 meters high and is relatively small compared to the rest of the Seven Sisters of Moscow. It was constructed by Leonid Polyakov and is decorated on the interior with unique Russian ornaments. The designs were purposed to mimic the famous Alexey Shchusev's Kazansky Railway Station. Apparently, the inner part of the building was inefficiently planned. According to Polyakov analysis, the structure was capable of renting out only 22% if its space and the cost per bed was approximately 150% of the Moskva Hotel prices. The hotel functions today, and has gone through millions of dollars of renovations.

3. Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The construction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building took place between 1948 and 1953. The designers of this structure were V.G.Gelfreih and A.B. Minkus. The building rises to a height of 172 meters and is currently owned by the Russian Federation. It still serves as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.

2. Moscow State University

The main building of Moscow State University was inaugurated on September 1, 1953. It was the tallest skyscraper in all of Europe until 1990. Interestingly, Moscow State University is still the towering educational center in the world. Although this is no longer a title it holds today, it remains the tallest educational building in the world.

1. Red Gates Administrative Building

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The designer of The Red Gate Administrative Building was Alexey Mishkin, from the Moscow Metro frame. Its construction began in 1947 and ended in 1953. The building comprises of 24 floors and a height of 133 meters. Although the building had specific uses for escalator tunnels that connect it with the Krasniye Vorota subway station, it was intended to be a mixed-use building.